Egyptians cheer and wave their national flag as they gather in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square on July 4. / Gianluigi Guercia, AFP/Getty Images

by Sarah Lynch, Special for USA TODAY

by Sarah Lynch, Special for USA TODAY

CAIRO - A big question circulating in Egypt today: Who is Adly Mansour?

The answer: a little-known constitutional judge appointed years ago by ousted former president Hosni Mubarak who has now been drafted to serve as Egypt's interim president.

Another big question: Will Mansour be a puppet for the military leadership that put him in power?

Mansour was sworn in Thursday after deposed president Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected leader, was ousted and placed under arrest by the military.

Mansour assumed the job under a transitional plan that appointed the head of the country's High Constitutional Court as interim president.

Mansour became head of the court June 30 after the former chief judge retired. The judge will serve in the post of president until elections are held, a date undetermined so far.

Now, the spotlight is shining on a man about whom little is known.

"Yesterday was the first time I heard his name," said Marwa Farid, 30, a democratic activist. "I'm hopeful he'll be inclusive of all members of society after what we've been through over the past year."

Mansour, 67, was born in Cairo and graduated from Cairo University with a law degree in 1967. He had been deputy chief justice since 1992.

Mohammed Hamed El Gamal, former head of the State Council, a judicial body that gives legal advice to the government, described Mansour as a "fair man" committed only to the "constitution and the law" in an interview with al Shabab, part of the Egyptian news organization Al-Ahram.

Mansour helped draft the presidential election laws that saw Morsi elected in 2012, according to Al-Ahram.

On Thursday, Mansour praised the recent street demonstrations that led to the ouster of Morsi, saying, "I offer my greetings to the revolutionary people of Egypt."

Some analysts expect Mansour to be a figurehead for the military, which will retain power over the government.

"The military is just going to be pulling the strings," said Shashank Joshi, research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. "That means the international community has to push very hard to make sure the constitution drafting process is inclusive and fair and credible and doesn't try to exclude Islamists from the process."

Other analysts weren't so sure the military wants to weigh back into politics, which provoked public outrage when it ruled after ousting Mubarak and until Morsi's election a year ago.

Military leaders "know what a thankless task it is," said Firas Abi Ali, a Middle East and North Africa analyst at IHS in London. "I think the military is doing its best not to present itself as governing directly but to put forward a civilian face. The objective is not to present this as a military takeover of power."

However, he added, the military has always been influential in Egypt. "If you look at the structure of public services, you find retired military men in all sorts of positions, so they have a lot of influence over bureaucracy," he said.

Activist Gigi Ibrahim, who has fought to achieve the revolution's goals since the uprising against Hosni Mubarak in 2011, said it is too soon to judge the interim president.

"If he will fulfill the people's and revolution's demands and what we agreed on - this road map that was set - that's great, but I know this won't happen easily," said Ibrahim, who belongs to the Revolutionary Socialists group in Egypt.

"There needs to be a lot of pressure, with people continuously protesting to ensure these demands are fulfilled, and they're not going to happen on their own," she added. "Whether (Mansour) will fulfill the demands of the people or not is what will determine whether he is a good president or a bad one."